Debate can be a valuable extra curricular activity for students in school as well as college. It teaches numerous life skills that can prove to be useful for the students not just in the academic sphere but also for the rest of their lives. From planning a cohesive and logical argument to listening to the opponents to choosing the right words to speaking eloquently, debating can help anyone, no matter the skill level, tactfully take on whatever life decides to throw at them. The purpose of a debate is to clearly express yourself using persuasive arguments. Here’s how that is beneficial:
1. Enhances critical thinking
One of the most important benefits of encouraging children to take part in debates is the critical thinking that the activity helps develop. Today, in a world, where we are expected to passively take in information that is provided to us, critical thinking can help the kids hone their own thoughts and eliminate ideas and concepts that do not make sense to them and embrace the ones that do.
2. Improves public speaking skills
Public speaking is a crucial life skill, one that can play an important role in a child’s professional career or social life in the future. When debating, you learn to be confident and persuasive when you speak, which is a result of preparation and research. This can greatly improve your oratory skills when interacting with other people in other environments.
3. Increases information retention
Debate activates and engages your mind. Compared to many other traditional education techniques, debates can be more helpful in developing and increasing your information retention capacity. Since it requires you to succinctly put forth your argument, the need to remember what you have learned during your preparation becomes paramount.
These are a few of the many benefits that taking part in debates offers students. Do you want to open a debate club for kids or want to teach your own kids how to debate? Speakers League provides various tools and resources that you can use to impart debate skills training to the youth. Find more information here.